Ride the Right Horse
Understanding the Core Equine Personalities and How to Work with Them
by Yvonne BarteauStorey
Publishing, 2007

Rags to Riches was bred for Belmont. The filly who captured
the third leg of this year's Triple Crown against a field of proud
colts was no ordinary thoroughbred. Her sire, A.P. Indy, won the 1992
Belmont Stakes, and that horse's sire was Seattle Slew, the 10th winner
of the Triple Crown.

Most horse racing tracks in America are virtually identical. Run around
them once and you will have run one mile, but run around Belmont and
you'll run a mile and a half. The backstretch is more than 500
feet longer than most tracks -- nearly a furlong -- and so the stretch
run to the finish line can seem interminable.

The Belmont Stakes isn't just about funny hats and mint juleps. It is
truly a "Test of Champions" and winning the race takes stamina and
tractability. A horse must be able to run for a mile and a half and
keep its wits the whole way round. Not every horse's temperament is
right for the challenge.

What's most distinctive about the personality of Rags to Riches,
according to her trainers, is her professionalism. The colts who ran
against her at Belmont were strong and wonderful horses, but not
necessarily dependable. Rags to Riches goes into the gate, runs her
race and almost always wins. "She will give you 100 percent without
asking," said her jockey, Garret Gomez.

The right equine personality is key to winning races, but also for
dressage or steeplechase or pleasure riding. "Understanding the
temperament of the horse is what sets true horsemen apart from the rest
of the riders that make up the horse world," writes Yvonne Barteau in
her book, "Ride the Right Horse" (Storey Publishing, 2007).

A professional horse trainer for the U.S. Equestrian Team, Barteau is
an expert at identifying equine personalities. She has devised a system
of personality types for horses similar to thye Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) for human personalities. She describes four basic
types of horses -- social, fearful, aloof, and challenging -- and
identify secondary traits that help to define their behaviors, such as
"aloof-challenging" or "fearful-social."

"There is no one type (either human or equine) that is better than the
others," she points out. "Different strengths, different weaknesses,
certainly, but not better and worse. I have learned over the years that
some horses are more suited to certain activities than others and that
certain individuals will be more skillful at handling and presenting
them."

Barteau advises riders and trainers to assess their own personality
type, using the MBTI or some other analysis tool, and carefully
consider what kind of horse they will work best with and feel most
comfortable astride. Are you looking for a challenging mount that will
negotiate the hunt field without missing a step, or a lovable lap dog
of a horse? Will you feel most comfortable with a fearful mount that
relies on your confidence with every step or a very business-like ride,
proud and adept?

"Although some people do get lucky making emotional decisions, in
equine matters logical, practical choices are the safest and surest
bet," she says.

There are specific clues to identifying a horse's primary personality,
which Barteau details in her book. By paying close attention to the
horse's actions and interactions with his environment, people (both new
and familiar), and others horses, most folks will be able to categorize
and better understand the animal.

Whether the horse is destined for cutting, roping, trail rides or a run
at Belmont, by figuring out how to work with -- and not against -- the
animal's temperament, trainers and riders will be rewarded with a
happier and more successful mount.Back to the Book
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